Forensic Imperial Concubine

Chapter 954 The Negotiation (Part One)

A murderous look flitted across the Harper's eyes. She was going to find out the identity of the bastard who orchestrated Darren's death. 'I will kill him if that's the last thing I do!' she determinedly thought to herself.

Derrick, the lord of Phoenix City, met the gaze of the current Darren. As he did, his stare became cold and piercing. For him, Darren looked too spaced out and emotionless that Daphne, his own sister, who was sitting beside him, was visibly looking very uncomfortable.

"Darren, this is our father," Daphne reminded him in a hushed voice. Darren, however, didn't care. All he could think of at the moment was Harper.

Slowly, he closed his eyes and tried to fall back asleep. The wound on his chest was aching so badly that even moving a little would send him screaming in pain. Because of that, he elected to simply lie on his bed, ignoring everything that was happening around him. Unfortunately for him, the two people inside his room, intently staring at him, made him feel quite uncomfortable.

"Darren, do you remember anything else?" Derrick asked slowly and gently. "You couldn't remember anyone. Daphne feels deeply sad because of that."

Once again, Darren didn't reply, nor did he open his eyes. It seemed like he had already fallen asleep, his breathing steady and his long eyelashes lying motionless. But then no one could rule out that he was just ignoring the people who were trying to talk to him.

Derrick frowned and was about to shake Darren awake when Daphne stopped him. With a sigh, she led him outside to talk. "Father, please be patient," she said as she closed the door behind her. "Darren is seriously hurt. Yes, he seemed to have forgotten us, his family, but at least he finally woke up, right? Also, he remembers Harper, so he hasn't lost all of his memory. Let's just be patient, please."

"Does it mean that woman is more important to him than us?" Derrick asked, annoyed. "You grew up with him, and you two shared the same hardships. It should be you who he remembers, not that married woman!"

This also saddened Daphne to the core, but at that point, all she was thinking was how fortunate her brother was to survive being injured and poisoned. She wasn't expecting too much at all, but she still hoped that Harper would be able to develop an antidote as soon as possible to make sure that her brother was saved.

"Father, we are counting on Harper to develop the antidote that would save Darren's life. I know your emotions are currently running high, but I beseech you to not cause any more trouble for her or for Darren." Her anxiousness was starting to take over her tone. "I'm afraid that if provoke Harper in any kind of way, she will give up developing an antidote. If that happens, no one will be able to help Darren!"

Derrick opened his mouth to protest what his daughter just told him, but he found that he couldn't. Only a bitter chuckle escaped his mouth. Yes, they were treating Darren with their own medicines as the Spiritual Poison continuously became stronger and more potent inside his body. Unfortunately, that would only last Darren a few days—a week, at most. If Harper decided to halt finding a cure to the deadly effects of the poison, there would be nothing they would be able to do other than leave Darren for dead. With that, Derrick turned around and left without muttering anything else. Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

Harper was still busy trying to develop an antidote in the pharmacy. Being worried, Derrick decided to check on her progress. When he arrived, he didn't immediately announce that he was there, electing to observe Harper in her natural surroundings. He saw Matthew was there, sitting beside her, seemingly providing her with support. Harper brewed some leaves while he read, and from time to time, they chatted and laughed. The two looked like a couple of lovebirds.

After a while, Derrick decided to make his presence known. "Your Highnesses," he greeted respectfully.

"Lord Derrick," Matthew replied back. "Are you worried about your son?"

Derrick nodded and said, "I just went to check on him and it seems like he is currently is too tired to talk. Daphne is especially having a hard time seeing her brother hurting. Her eyes are swollen as she has cried non-stop, mainly because her brother still doesn't remember her."

Harper's action froze a few seconds. Darren was no longer the person he used to be, so how would he be able to remember Daphne? And even if he remembered her, he probably wouldn't want to.

She finally broke her silence after some time, saying, "He will be all right." Those were the only words she could think of. While she believed that Darren would get better, there was no way she could guarantee anything else.

Derrick's facial expression became stone cold. "Daphne used to talk about you from time to time," he suddenly said. "And every time she did, she sounded very happy. It made me curious. Now, I finally understand why."

"We've known each other for many, many years, Derrick. We are good friends. I think it's normal for us to talk about each other. Although I'd been to Phoenix City many times, I hadn't met you, even once. I understand how you'd be curious of me," Harper replied as she went back to researching medicinal materials. It was the right time to catch the manipulator behind the trick. All she needed to do was to get rid of the Spiritual Poison for Darren.

"When will the antidote be developed?" Derrick asked softly as he looked at Harper's back.

"Pretty soon," Harper answered bluntly. She wasn't sure about that one bit. But that was all she could tell the father of her friend.

"I'm glad to hear that. Take care of yourself, too. Don't get sick just for making the antidote." After that, Derrick left with a steady pace.

As Harper watching him leaving, a flicker of doubt flashed through her eyes and soon disappeared. She then turned to Matthew and asked, "How is Douglas?"

"He is as arrogant as a peacock," Matthew said in a cold voice. "I don't want to keep him alive anymore."

Hearing this, Harper couldn't help laughing and said, "Douglas is simple and not good at calculating. If it were Felton facing the same situation, he wouldn't have been so passive. Thus, Victoria abandoned Felton and chose him as the heir. She thinks that Douglas is easy to be manipulated."